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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · jam · drill · dip · fork · scale · craft · lie

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. lie — to recline
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. drill — army training
  9. dip — to sink
  10. scale — size or range
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. scale — in music
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. drill — a practice
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fork — in a road

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com